Chapter 1: Happy Birthday

RIVER

“Did you hear? The Whitegrove brothers are at it again. They murdered about a dozen people last night for crossing their borders. They are so mean!”

I hid behind my best friend as she gossiped with other people.

The Whitegrove brothers were from a nearby Kingdom named Shadowvale and I had heard awful things about them, including how they used someone’s head to play soccer. 

‘I shouldn’t be here.’ I thought as I nursed a glass of wine I had no business holding. 

Glancing at the giant, gold clock somewhere to my left, I realized, I had just about two minutes to become of legal age to drink. I fervently focused on that, ignoring the disgusted stares I got from people around. 

Making a turn, my gaze caught on my reflection in a silverware tray and the feeling of disgust also settled within me. 

The girl staring back had a terrible scar running from the left side of her forehead down her half open nose, half missing lips to the right side of her jawline. Although she could see fairly well, one of her eyes was misty like a dull cloud on a boring day while the other was a vibrant forest green. 

I was a deformed girl. A freakshow that had no business being at the Luna Queen’s birthday party. Especially, since she hates my family with a passion. 

“Are you having fun?” 

I flinched, then relaxed as I realized it was my best friend speaking to me.

Summoning a fake smile, I gave her a nod and she beamed at me with perfect teeth, making a pang of jealousy punch me in the stomach. 

Paloma Censori was everything I was not. 

Rich, nepo baby with full golden blonde hair that shimmered in the light and a perfect body shape that made the men oogle in desire. 

Paloma turned to the clock and her sunshine smile widened into a grin. 

“Happy birthday, Beautiful!” She squealed, before pulling me into a bone crushing hug. 

Beautiful. 

The last thing I was or will ever be. 

Still, I wondered what she saw in me when others looked at me like I was a piece of shit. 

Suddenly, a shift occurred and it wasn't because the crowd made a collective gasp or because Paloma is seen hugging a freak like me. 

No.

It was because the air had suddenly filled with the scent of earth and fresh rain and my wolf had awoken, hinting that our mate was close by. 

My heart dropped to my stomach and panic made me flinch back from Paloma. 

“I have to go.” I murmured before turning around to head for the door. 

“Wait, what?” Paloma said, gripping my elbow and forcing me to a stop. “What's going on?”

I looked around frantically, suspecting every pair of eyes watching me.

Is my mate really here?

What if he finds me and hates me? Of course he will! No one will be happy to be mated to a freak like me! 

“River?!” Paloma urged, her light blue eyes soft with compassion. “What is it?”

I panted softly, parting my lips to trust her with my fear, then suddenly I noticed the sea of people parting, making way for someone. 

“Oh gods!” I moaned as the head of a man became visible above the crowd.

He had curly dark brown hair and the more he approached, the more I could see his features. 

Light brown eyes, that were deep sunken, and high cheekbones that gave him an air of a no-nonsense demeanor. 

He was dressed in an expensive dark suit perfectly tailored to accommodate his huge frame and as he approached I clutched Paloma’s hand in fear because that's what Densmore Rutherford does. 

He instills fear in everyone around him. 

Every step of his, every twitch in his strong jaw, made it seem as if he were struggling to keep his anger in. As if one wrong move could unleash years of rage and get anyone injured or worse, killed. 

Yet, despite this, Densmore, the sole heir and Alpha Prince of Calmaria, had my heart in a chokehold, making it stutter whenever his gaze collided with mine. And it wasn't because he was the most beautiful man in all of Calmaria, my affection for him ran deeper than that. 

Deeper than the hatred I knew he had for me. 

Paloma turned to see Densmore, and immediately planted on that sunshine smile of hers but then… it faded quickly the moment she saw the pitch blackness in his eyes.

According to tradition, there were only two reasons why a person’s eyes would turn pitch black especially when they were looking at the opposite gender. 

It was either because they were completely in lust or they had just found their mate. 

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Paloma asked, moving closer to Densmore, her boyfriend, because of course, the two hottest people in Calmaria sure belong together. 

Forcefully but gently, Densmore pushed Paloma out of his way, putting me under the spotlight of his dark gaze.

Instantly, my knees went weak, my heart pounding above the chatter and murmur of everyone else in the room. 

Densmore bared his teeth, his sharp fangs revealed and I very much know that’s not the look of lust.

That’s the look of someone who just found out I’m his mate and maybe, just maybe, he’d finally release all that anger and end my misery.